Going to the Edge

Is it just me or have most comedies lost their edge? Every joke is pretty much the same as what you've seen in other movies.

For example, the new Will Farrell movie, Semi-Pro features Will Farrell acting as a loud, outrageous, chauvinistic, alcoholic raging athlete that makes no sense to the rest of his sport. Weird, considering that Blades of Glory and Taladega Nights are essentially the same movie, featuring the same character of Frank the Tank from Old School as the main character.

I am tired of it. Will Farrell has made me laugh in every movie he has ever made, and three years ago I would have been excited to see Semi-Pro, but not after those other three movies where he played essentially the same character.

I need some real comedy. Like, Steve Martin in the 80's. He hasn't done anything noteworthy or funny since Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

I don't recall a real comedian in the 90's. You could say that Jim Carrey was that guy but he didn't do anything really edgy. The bigger story in 90's comedy was what the Farrelly Brothers were doing, which was bigger than Jim Carrey. Mike Meyers was funny, but the Austin Powers sequels were just money-grabs, not really funny ones either.

The funniest things on film that I've seen in the last five years were the South Park Movie and the Simpsons movie, and those were just film adaptations of the t.v. show, (not exactly groundbreaking).

Up until today, I was beginning to lose my faith in comedy films. That is when I read that Ben Stiller made a hollywood parody film, spoofing American action films with Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr.

The story is that Ben Stiller's character is a Hollywood actor who is on location making a film in Southeast Asia. Jack Black looks hilarious with bleached hair and red sunglasses as a fat, out of shape actor who is in the action film business and Robert Downey Jr. plays a Jewish actor who gets into character by playing a black character in the movie and tries to buddy up with crew members by quoting lines from the theme song of the Jeffersons.

That is funny. That is almost crazy. It is so close to going over the line without actually going over the line. I miss that. Comedians need to take more chances like that in order to advance their art.